When Dwight Powell and the Canadian national team were about to play the U.S. in the FIBA World Cup bronze-medal game, the Mavericks’ center was waiting for one particular opponent.
He looked around the entryway to the arena until he locked eyes with his key adversary, who also happened to be a longtime friend.
“I don’t know if you watched the game close, but before the intros, both teams come out of the same room,” Powell said. “So I was looking across, not so much at the USA logo, but at Jalen, waiting to see him out there.”
That would be Jalen Brunson, the former Maverick who Powell spent four years with developing chemistry and a friendship before Brunson departed for New York in free agency.
For the next two hours or so, the U.S. and Canada went after each other and the bronze medal eventually went to Powell’s team in overtime, 127-118. It was a dark moment for U.S. basketball.
But a confirmation of Canada’s arrival as a basketball powerhouse on the global stage.
Powell had an unforgettable summer, even if it started much too early when the Mavericks missed the playoffs last season. And even if the highlight came at the expense of Brunson and the U.S. team.
That’s now in the past. Ahead of him and the Mavericks is a new season full of hope and considerable new blood on the team when training camp opens Wednesday.
And for Powell, optimism is abounding, particularly after the past few months that featured a run full of accomplishments at the World Cup in Japan and the Philippines.
The Canadians earned their first medal at a World Cup or Olympics since before even us oldsters were born.
It was 1936 when they got the silver medal in Berlin at the Olympic Games. At that time, basketball was a cult sport everywhere but North America. It was the first time basketball was an Olympic sport and the score in the gold medal game was 19-8 and was played outside in the rain.
Now, Canada is going back to the Olympics for the first time since 2000.
“Great summer, great summer,” Powell said this week at the Mavericks’ practice facility. “But I think it was the culmination of a few summers. And even more than that for a lot of guys.
“There were a few opportunities to accomplish one of our big goals in terms of making the Olympics over the time a lot of us have been playing that we fell short. So that was definitely something we wanted to emphasize the last few years in this cycle.”
The trip to Paris for the 2024 Summer Games was clinched with a win over Spain that moved Canada into the quarterfinals.
Everything after that was gravy. But to win the bronze – and do it against the U.S. – pushed the adrenaline meter to the red line.
“I think at that stage of the tournament and that stage of the summer, I think everybody’s champing at the bit regardless of who’s across the line,” Powell said. “But anytime you can beat the U.S., that’s something special. They’re some of the best players in the world. They had a great run. They didn’t win, but they’re a great team nonetheless. And that (finishing ahead of the U.S.) is a big accomplishment for us.”
Powell did not have a staggering statistical line in the bronze medal game – until you get the final number. He had four points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals, a block and no turnovers.
But the most impressive number? The Canadians were a healthy plus-19 when Powell was on the floor. That’s what is known as impacting a victory without having to score a ton of points.
Canada went to the World Cup with a half-dozen current NBA players. Most of them, including Powell, plan on being with the team in Paris next summer.
But Powell, never one to forget people behind the scenes, was quick to point out that the arrival back in the Olympics in 2024 took a village.
“We have a really good group of guys – more guys than went to the World Cup that played a big role in qualifying us for the World Cup and eventually the Olympics,” Powell said. “We had a really good, committed group of guys that had a lot of pride and got the job done. It was a long time coming. And then to be able to medal in the World Cup at the same time is huge. So it was a great summer.
“The game is growing. You’re starting to see that at every level. We got players at an elite level from development age all the way through college, high school and the pros. So there’s no surprise that the competition is high.”
That includes a wealth of players who helped Canada get through the various qualifying windows that they had to negotiate just to make it into the World Cup field.
Their NBA players, for the most part, could not participate in those qualifiers because they came during the NBA season.
“We didn’t have an easy route,” Powell said. “But we have such a massive pool of dedicated guys willing to sacrifice their time that play in other leagues that are incredible players, play at a world-class level and proved that. We might have lost one game in our qualifying windows, if that. So they did an incredible job. It’s unfortunate that only 12 of us can play in the World Cup and Olympics. Maybe in the public eye, it’s somewhat thankless. In our federation, we owe those guys so much, players and staff that worked those games and not the ones under the big lights. They all count.”
And they all helped the Canadians make history – with perhaps a lot more to come next summer in the Olympics.
Twitter: @ESefko
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